Tianyi Pavilion
In the west of the Moon Lake Scenic Site of Ningbo, Tianyi Pavilion, built in the 39th year of the Ming Emperor Jiajing's reign, has a history of over 400 years. As the extant oldest private book-collecting tower in China and Asia, the Tianyi Pavilion is also one of the three oldest family libraries in the world. There are more than 300,000 books stocked in the Tianyi Pavilion including 80,000 rare editions and precious ancient books. Well known as the "Book Town in the South", the Tianyi Pavilion is now one of the major historical relics under the protection of the state. The Tianyi Pavilion is also famous for the extraordinary design of the pavilion and the elegant structure of the garden.
Moon Lake
In the urban area of Ningbo, the Moon Lake was initially built in 636, the 10th year of the Tang Zhenguan period. During the Southern Song Dynasty, a lot of towers, terraces and pavilions were built in the region which form the ten wonderful scenic attractions surrounded with seven bridges and three embankments. In the past, many historical celebrities and poets in China like He Zhizhang, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang and so on often gathered here to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Moon Lake.
Haishu Tower
Haishu Tower is the relic of the ancient gate-tower of Ningbo. Built in the Tang Dynasty, the Haishu Tower, located in the center of the urban area, was not only the south gate of the Mingzhou Prefecture but also an ancient building symbolizing the construction of the Ningbo City in history. The 22-meter-high tower is composed of an arched gate and a three-layer pavilion. It is commonly called "the Drum-tower", for there are Kelou (tool used to count the time) and Genggu (drum used to tell the time) on the tower.
Tianfeng Pagoda
Built in the Tang Dynasty (695), the Tianfeng Pagoda, located in the center of Ningbo, is another marking architecture of ancient Ningbo. It is also named the Tang Pagoda. The 54.5m-high pagoda, shaped in hexagon, is composed of 14 stories above the ground and 4 stories under the ground. Tianfeng Pagoda was the symbol of Ningbo in history, thus a large amount of cultural relics still can be found in the pagoda at the present.
Town God's Temple
Also called as the "Prefecture Temple" or the "Town God's Temple of Ningbo Prefecture", the Town God's Temple, located in the downtown area of Ningbo, stands far apart opposite to the Tianfeng Pagoda. The Prefecture Temple can be traced back to the Liang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties. The extant architecture was rebuilt in 1884, the 10th year of the Qing Emperor Guangxu's reign. It has been renovated for many times since the foundation of the People's Republic of China, and now it has become the largest comprehensive entertainment site in east Zhejiang area possessing all the functions such as traveling, shopping, dining and entertaining etc.
Seventeen Houses
Located in Zhenhai of Ningbo, the Seventeen Houses, ingeniously designed, is the largest and the best-kept private residence of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. The houses, built in the Ming Dynasty, belonged to a distinguished family of Mr.Zheng. Covering a square of 40,000m2, the whole building is composed of scores of houses all surrounded by rivers, on which span scores of bridges. The style of the Seventeen Houses reminds visitors of Venice, no doubt it is praised by the tourists as the Oriental Venice.
Tashan Weir
Initially built in the 7th years of the Tang Emperor Taihe's reign, the Tashan Weir, located beside the Yinjiang River of Ningbo, is one of the four major ancient water conservancy projects of China. The surface of the Weir is built with stone and the body of the weir is built with both stone and wood. It's also the major cultural relic under the protection of the state. The magnificent Weir, being finely constructed and wisely designed, can be compared favorably with the Dujiang Dam of Sichuan.
Liangzhu Cultural Park
Located in Gaoqiao of the Yinxian County in Ningbo, the Liangzhu Cultural Park is a theme park based on the love story of Liangzhu-one of the four major folk legends in China, also known as the "Romeo and Juliet's Love Story in the East". In the Liangzhu Cultural Park lies the Liang Shanbo Temple, built in 397, and the tomb in which Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were buried together. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are regarded as angels of love by people lived in east Zhejiang; therefore, there is a saying: "if a couple want to love each other for ever, they must visit the Liang Shanbo Temple". At present the Liangzhu Marriage Custom Festival of China is held annually in the park.
Wenchang Pavilion
Located in the Wuling Tou of the Xikou Scenic Site, the Wenchang Pavilion was rebuilt in 1924 by Jiang Jieshi when returning to his hometown. The Wenchang Pavilion, surrounded with luxuriant ancient trees together with the rippling green Shanxi Stream, forms one of the ten scenic spots of Xikou. Having received Jiang Jieshi and his wife Song Meiling, the pavilion now is served as a place to store books.
Zhongtian Pavilion
In Yuyao of Ningbo, the Zhongtian Pavilion, initially built in the Five Dynasties, used to be the rostrum of Mr. Wang Yangming, a famous Chinese thinker of the Ming Dynasty. During the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty, when Mr. Wang Yangming returned to his hometown to give lectures in the Zhongtian Pavilion, Mr. Wang regulated the studying rules for the students by himself and wrote it down on the wall of the pavilion to impel the students to study hard. The extant two-storied pavilion is the architecture of the Qing Dynasty. A picture of Mr. Wang is hung on the wall of the main hall of the Zhongtian Pavilion.
Tongji Bridge and Shunjiang Tower
Located in downtown Yuyao of Ningbo, the Tongji Bridge, initially built in Northern Song Dynasty, known as the "first bridge of east Zhejiang", was the largest stone bridge with three arches at that time in east Zhejiang. The whole bridge, consisting of 106 steps, is 26-zhang long. The main arch in the middle of the bridge covers a distance of 14.2m. The bridge and the Shunjiang Tower to the north of the bridge together form an impelling scene of the rising rainbow (Tongji Bridge) in the sky and the flying tower (Shunjiang Tower) on the river.
Hemudu Relic
Covering an area of 40,000m2, the Hemudu Relic is one of the primitive tribe relics of the Neolithic Age of China. The accumulated cultural layer of the relic is about 4 meters thick, consisting of four cultural layers. It is estimated that the age of the fourth generation of the cultural layers can be traced back to about 7,000 years ago. A great deal of tools, household utensils and primitive works of art have been unearthed in the relic; meanwhile, plenty of artificially planted rice relics and a large scale of timber structure architectural relics have also been found in the Hemudu Relic. Therefore, the Hemudu Relic is called "the Cultural Treasure 7,000 Years Ago". It shows us the splendid culture of the primitive agriculture, and strongly proves that the Changjiang region is another cradle of the ancient culture of the Chinese people. As one of the state patriotism education bases, the Museum of the Hemudu Relic has been built on the relic, the name of which is inscribed by Jiang Zemin, the General Secretary of CPC.